Chapter 37 | Ravinica

Chapter 37

Ravinica

THE DAY OF MY RUNESHAPING Basics midterm, I was woefully unprepared. My nerves were shot, as I'd been practicing waggling my fingers and trying to Shape runes in the air all night before. I woke up groggy, pissed, and worried this was the end.

I paced in my room, wondering if I should just throw myself prostrate before the gods—or the Hersirs, in this case—and claim myself as a fraud for all to see.

I knew I'd get snickers, a lashing out, and probably expulsion . . . yet maybe it would lessen the burden on my shoulders.

No, I told myself, shaking the silly thought from my head. You're smart, Vini. Fucking figure it out.

To that end, I walked down the hall to Randi's room early in the morning. Though we were practically best friends at this point, we tended to keep to ourselves in the dorms. Both of us were introverts—surprising, considering how bubbly she was—and needed our own little she-sheds to recharge our batteries. Actually, I couldn't remember ever stepping into Randi's room.

Until now.

I knocked on her door, and when she opened, I blew by her into the room. "I'm sorry to bug you like this."

"Whoa, babe, you look frazzled and dazzled."

I nodded, biting my lip so hard I thought it would bleed. "I am. Your girl is both frazzled and dazzled."

"What's up? I'm guessing the runeshaping test."

"Bingo." My eyes implored her. I was ready to go on my knees to beg. "Have you heard any intel about what we're up against? I need to be able to prepare."

"Actually, I have."

A glimmer of hope shot through me. I hurried to her, taking her hands in mine. I assumed I looked like a manic maniac when I looked at her, based on how she widened her eyes at me like I'd lost the plot.

Randi took her hands away, went to her desk—which was much cuter than mine and plastered with stickers—and pulled out a piece of paper from her bag. She grabbed a pencil and started drawing lines on it.

I watched her drawing intently, and when she was finished, I asked, "What am I looking at?"

"The grounds for the test," she said. "At least, um, according to my brother."

It was bullshit I couldn't go to my brother for help with something like this. He was content with letting me sink or swim on my own. Eirik was too much of a stickler for the rules to potentially get in trouble by helping me.

Randi, though? She was a rebel at heart. Down for the cause.

My eyes glittered when I looked at the crude drawing. It looked like a hallway, with two circles on either end.

She tapped the circles. "One of these is where the initiate will stand. At the end of the hall, lifted from some kind of stone or something like that, will be a torch. You aren't allowed to move from your position on the other side of the room. And you have to put out the fire without touching it."

I inhaled sharply. It was very specific directions. I had no idea how to accomplish such a feat.

"That's the test," she added, then grimaced guiltily. "Unless they changed it since last year."

"Shit."

"That's all I got, Ravin." She gave me her most hopeful shrug.

"No, no, you did great," I said, patting her on the back. "Thank you, Ran. I feel like I can work with this."

Her weave bobbed on her shoulders when she lurched. "You can? Uh, because the only way I see to pass this test is to whip some water at it, toss an icicle, or blow wind strong enough that it puts the fire out. All of those require runeshaping, babe."

I nodded slowly. Furrowed my brow, thinking hard. "You said we can't move, and we can't touch the flame?"

"Correct."

I let out a hum. Turning from the page, I started pacing her room, in front of her messy bed. I absentmindedly noticed a three-pack of condoms on her nightstand, and when she saw my eyes fall on them, she let out a little squeal.

"Shit!" she cried out, and hurried over to block my view, as if I had stumbled upon her watching hardcore porn. "You weren't supposed to see those. I didn't expect you to barge in like that."

"Randi—"

"It's not Ulf!" she interjected, completing her word vomit.

I settled my hands on her shoulders. "Girl. Babe. Bestie. I don't care . I'm not your mom. Just because I don't like a guy doesn't mean you have to dislike him too. We're in supernatural college. I think we're all allowed to get a little weird. I mean, if you knew half the stuff I was getting into . . ."

Randi's eyes bulged. "Wait, what?"

"Never mind."

"No way!"

"All I'm saying," I said, trying to return to the topic at hand, "is that your business is yours, and you'll still be my friend."

A look of sheer relief passed over her features. She bowed her head with a heavy sigh. "Okay, thank the gods," she squeaked. "Because it is Ulf."

I threw my head back. "I knew it!"

A blush came to her dark cheeks. "Damn you!"

I couldn't stop smiling. I appreciated her ability to distract my mind from my impending doom over the midterm. Then I cocked my head. "Although . . ."

"Huh?"

"I just had an idea. Mind if I borrow one of those?"

"A condom?" She blinked wildly. " Borrow a condom?" Mischief dashed across her wagging eyebrows. "Oh, you little slut, Ravin. Just what are you scheming?"

Now it was my turn to blush. I shook my head. "It's not what you think. Just—hells—can I?"

"Fine." She turned around, ripped one of the packages off the other two, and handed it to me. "But if you've been fooling around with Grim Kollbjorn, I suspect you might need a bigger one. Liv's Lost Supplies in Isleton is where I got ‘em."

I rolled my eyes and backed out toward the door. Wagging the condom packaging in the air, I said, "Thanks, babe, I owe you one!"

Then I ran down the hall.

Randi poked her head out a second later. "Damn right you owe me one, slut! Another condom !" When I laughed, I heard Randi scowl and yell out, "What are you looking at, Matilda? Mind your damn business and pop your head back into your dorm room!"

That was my best friend—fiery, strangely protective despite being half my size, and ready to box a motherfucker just for looking at me the wrong way.

Loved her. And now she'd given me a fighting chance, in the most unconventional way possible.

I staked off to Gharvold Hall next. Herseir Axel was training some second-years in special fighting techniques when I arrived. It was still early in the morning, before my first class.

Grim was one of the second-years in the front room of the garrison, and so was Eirik. There were six other students, in a semi-circle around Hersir Axel, but only my brother and my berserker eyed me as I stormed in.

I ruffled Axel's feathers just by showing up and distracting him from his lecture. The stout professor lowered the oversized axe he held. "Miss Linmyrr. You're early. Your combat class is—"

"Not for another two hours," I said, nodding. "I know, sir. I apologize. I need to borrow a weapon from the armory, if you don't mind."

His bushy beard twitched. "Pardon?"

"Please." I bowed, just for good measure.

Men in uniform loved a respectful woman.

Axel narrowed his beady eyes at me. "What are you plotting, lass?"

I fired off the cuff, rolling my wrist at him. "Well, our class is Combat & Strategy , right? I'm utilizing some strategy, sir."

I could see his deep frown past his beard. He also seemed just as curious as he did angry. "What kind of weapon do you need?"

"A bow. And an arrow. Please."

"Just one arrow?" His frown had flipped into a smirk. The students next to Eirik and Grim snickered.

I winced. "Well, I think I'm only gonna have one shot. If I miss, I'm fucked. With all due respect. Sir."

My last mission brought me to the western river, past Gharvold Hall. I left the second-years with a small wave, thanked Hersir Axel for his aid, begged for his discretion, and then set off.

At the river, I went to the shallowest point and kneeled, then looked over my shoulder to make sure no one was watching me. Gods, this is so freaking stupid.

Once I knew the coast was clear, I ripped the condom out of its packaging . . . and I filled it with water. If this is somehow allowed, I should get an A for effort.

I knew things didn't work like that at Vikingrune Academy. If anything, I might be reprimanded for what I planned—for making a mockery of the midterm test.

Regardless, I filled up that condom like a gods-damned water balloon and then tied it off at the top. I bounced it around in my palms, pleased with my handiwork, and gently stuffed it in the empty hip-pack I'd brought with me.

I went through all three of my morning and afternoon classes with a water-filled condom in my bag, unbeknownst to anyone.

When Runeshaping Basics came along, I waltzed in overconfidently and told Hersir Selken I was ready for the test.

She blinked at me like I was crazy. Taking me aside from the rest of the students, she said, "I was planning on giving you a one-time essay to write instead, Miss Linmyrr."

"I appreciate that, ma'am, but the other initiates would never let me live it down. My bullying will become exponentially worse if you let me skate by with a written assignment. Unless that's what all the others are doing?"

"No. It's not."

"Then I'll have what they're having."

"It's a runeshaping class, Ravinica. You can't Shape."

I smiled at her. "Just let me try."

"Fine." She checked my body for the first time, lifting a thin brow. "Can I ask why you have a bow strapped to your shoulder?"

My smile only widened. "No, ma'am."

A few minutes later, the entire class marched outside toward the small village of longhouses near Vala Chamber.

The test was already set up when we arrived at the longhouses. One side of the test longhouse had been opened up completely so students and professors alike could watch from a side angle.

I became giddy, a buzz running through me, when I saw how the room was situated. Just like Randi's drawing!

Step one of my scheme was complete. Thank the gods for her brother!

Selken asked who wanted to go first, and I waved my hand in the air before anyone else reacted. Sighing, the Hersir pointed at me. "Fine. Ravinica. Show us what you've got."

"The bog-blood?" one girl snarled in disgust.

Astrid joined her, saying, "Ma'am, if I wanted to watch failure, I'd try to find my father."

Gudleif Selken put her hands on her hips. "Astrid Dahlmyrr, if I wanted to listen to annoying, entitled chirping, I would buy a gods-damned parrot. Keep your opinions to yourself."

Students laughed. Astrid blushed furiously and glowered at me as if it was my fault she had been so severely burned by our professor.

Hersir Selken gestured me forward. "When you're ready, Ravinica."

I marched into the longhouse, standing on the far right side where there were feet marks in chalk. On the other side, a whipping flame was in a lifted stone about three feet high, looking like an Olympic torch.

"You must put out the fire without touching it, and without moving from your spot," Selken said. "Understand?"

I nodded firmly. "Yes, ma'am." There was little wind today, so I didn't need to worry about that. The fire flicked— My nemesis— and I reached into my hip-pack. "A second, please."

I came out gingerly holding my single arrow . . . which I had oh-so-carefully slid through the tied end of the condom before arriving.

Students gasped. One of them hollered.

Astrid murmured, "Is that . . . what I think it is?"

"What the hell is she planning?" another wondered.

I pulled the bow off my shoulder. If it wasn't obvious by now, perhaps they'd never understand. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it fill a condom up.

With the students gazing wide-eyed at me, I pulled back on the bowstring, keeping it taut. I lined up the arrow, which was incredibly unbalanced and wobbly with the condom tied at the front just before the arrowhead.

Shit. I didn't think of the weight. Or practice this shot. It wasn't like I'd had much time to prepare and practice. I had pulled this idea out of my ass a few scant hours ago.

Gauging my shot, I tilted my bow. The distance was merely twenty feet, if that. The target was wispy, nonsolid—not something I could smack into.

Stilling my heart, I aimed and closed one eye. I was good with a bow. I was good with all weapons, because those had become my specialty throughout my training when my inherent magic decided to play hide-and-seek.

Despite the wobbliness of the arrow, my shot was true. I gave it all the oomph I could, even with such a short distance, because I knew the balloon would weigh the front down. As I released the taut bowstring from my fingers, it snapped forward and the arrow launched, arcing up toward the rafters of the longhouse.

The arrow whistled and went through the fire. The thud of the arrow striking the wall behind the lifted torch sent dirt and woodchips pluming.

"Ha!" Astrid cried out as the arrow disappeared into the flames about a foot above it.

The arrow stayed in the wall . . . sizzling filled the air.

And the condom popped , releasing its . . . load. A mini-waterfall of water splashed down from the popped condom and showered the fire, dousing it immediately.

A moment of silence as my heart rampaged in my chest.

"Holy shit!" one of the students cried.

"It worked!"

I lifted my shoulders, even more shocked than the students that my idea had worked. Proudly, beaming like a child, I looked over to Hersir Selken.

Astrid cried out, "That's not fair! She didn't use runeshaping!"

I caught Selken smirking. Chuckling to herself. She looked from the doused torch to my face. "Not fair, Astrid? No. It's ingenious, is what it is. Ingenuity outweighs skill any given day. I'll allow it."

She gave me a tiny nod, trying to hide her smile. "Congratulations, Miss Linmyrr. You passed."